Moving up in your hotel’s organization is a lot easier than you might think. Do these three things and success can be yours:

1- Determine your boss’s payoffs.

2- Learn the skill set of your new position.

3- Train your replacement.

If you do these things, it’s a no-brainer and you will be promoted. Alternatively, you may find that you have to move on to achieve your goals. The assumption has to be made that the organization is big enough to handle individual careers and not just provide jobs.  Without that condition, there is no future. The assumption is also made that you know enough about your new position to
know that you want to move on or up.

1. The boss’s payoff

Determining your boss’s personal payoffs is the first and most vital step in your move to the next level. Does she want to move up the organization or is he content with the job he has? Is she willing to help you advance or does she want you doing your work and hers? Is he willing to listen
to your ideas about how your advancement will be accomplished? Can you explain why this change will be good for your boss? Once you believe your boss sees his personal payoffs involved in your promotion, it’s on to the next step.

2. Learning the new skillset

You can accomplish this in a number of ways. If the new skill set is in another department, a series of extension courses might provide a background for learning. If you want a job like your boss as he/she can show you the “inside” part of what they do. Learning this new skill set will give you the opportunity to determine if you are going to like this new position and position you to fill the role when available.

3. Finding and training your replacement

You will do your boss, and therefore yourself, a favor when you train someone to replace you. Once she knows you have or are training your replacement, your recommendation will be forthcoming. Without your replacement at hand, it would be difficult for any supervisor to promote you and leave your position vacant.

So, there are three obvious but often ignored steps to moving up in the organization. If you are in an organization that has room for growth and a boss that you can trust with your future, then you are halfway there. Learning new skill sets will come with time and effort. If,
however, if your current organization just offers jobs rather than careers or your boss’s behavior tells you he will not help you succeed, then you need to start looking for career opportunities. 

Frank J. Schilagi, PhD is a senior research associate for Directions Incorporated and the author of Reality Check for Leaders.